The merchant city : a study in townscape and revitalisation

Stewart, Graham (1986) The merchant city : a study in townscape and revitalisation. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Glasgow is currently the scene of much change. This change has come in the form of many schemes and projects intended to revitalise the city centre - both physically and economically. The Merchant City Project is such a scheme. The aims behind the project are basically three-fold 1) A desire to attract people back into the city centre; 2) To stimulate economic activity in a run-down and depressed area; and 3) To retain and enhance the physical character of the area by re-using the existing buildings and complimenting these with sympathetic new build developments.

With these aims in mind, the dissertation attempts to highlight the factors which led to the instigation of the Merchant City Project. Thus the history of the area is detailed focussing on the development of the townscape. This issue of townscape is considered very important to the area and because of this the philosophies behind conservation are discussed and the difficulties of achieving satisfactory new build schemes to compliment the older buildings are outlined.

Conservation and new build are essentially a part of the more complex process of urban regeneration. The development of the processes of urban renewal and regeneration are outlined and this leads to a discussion on the Merchant City and what is happening in the area at present.

It is here that the two main themes of townscape and regeneration are brought together. The aims of the bodies and agencies involved in the project are brought into question, as is the way they desire the image of the Merchant City to be promoted.

To discover public opinion, an empirical study was undertaken. This deals with the differing perceptions of two groups towards the Merchant City. The results form the basis for the conclusions along with the research connected with what is occurring in the area today.

In this way it is hoped that the dissertation will give a clear picture of the Merchant City Project; how it was instigated; the developments as yet undertaken along with future proposals; the ideals behind the scheme and how these ideals are faring as the project develops.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: McDonald, Sheila
• Date of Award: 1986
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1986-83541
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 17 Apr 2023 13:11
• Last Modified: 17 Apr 2023 14:41
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.83541
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/83541